SC Looks to Broker Peace and Stability in Lebanon

By Sonja Chai

The third day of conference for the Security Council was marked by a shift from the lobbying of the past two days to a more formal debate procedure. As Deputy President Yihan Tan of Shanghai American School Puxi, said, “The atmosphere was quite casual [while lobbying], so it took the forum a little bit to settle into parliamentary procedure. However, delegates quickly began very focused, careful debate on the clauses.”SC President Serene Wong, from the International School of Beijing, affirmed the high quality of debate: “ ...the delegates are very enthusiastic and submitting many amendments to ensure constructive debate.” Delegates appear to be in consensus with the quality of the debate. “Delegates are getting very involved with the resolution and a lot of important points are being raised to better the resolution and make it more realistic,” added Wong.The subject of the morning’s debate was a resolution on the question of Peace and Stability in Lebanon. According to Yihan Tan, the Security Council “deals with really pressing, controversial issues,” and the debate on the topic at hand is of good quality, since the “topic of peace and stability in Lebanon [is] very contentious.” Part of the contention might have been a direct result of the resolution itself. Delegate of France Julia Lee, from United World College of Southest Asia, commented that the resolution “seem[ed] to be effective but . . . lack[ed] a few details or specifics.” Delegates of Ghana Lily Guo and James Miao, from Concordia International School Shanghai, agreed to some extent: “This resolution appear[ed] ‘pretty’ but [was actually] lacking in substance and impractical if imposed. It would also appear that the clause-by-clause debate of this resolution makes for more in-depth, focused debate. In addition, the SC “has many animated characters that provide for refreshing debate,” according to Hansen Gu, Delegate of the United Kingdom, from Shanghai American School, Puxi. Delegate of the United Kingdom Etienne Ma, also from Shanghai American School Puxi, concurred, stating that “Delegates seem rather creative in their interpretation of their countries’ national policies, leading to debate that is not only constructive, but also entertaining.”The constructiveness of the debate is especially commendable given that “Lebanon has been a very difficult topic,” revealed Tan. “We...had a motion to table the reso but everyone decided that we should do our best to amend.” The Security Council has “many passionate and well-researched” arguments, says Tan. “Sometimes we get tired and frustrated, but we’ll get through it.”